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Topic: Help with Home Office Setup for Photo Editing (Read 4767 times)

Below is a picture of my ~11x11 home office. I am taking the picture from the entrance to the room and the door in the picture is a closet which houses printers, scanners… How would transform this room to be a good setup for picture editing?

A little about me: I am a compulsive amateur and have better gear then I deserve/need. I almost exclusively take photos of my kids playing sports, skiing, field trips, family vacations… I do some charity work and architecture. I use Lightroom / Photoshop and calibrate the monitors monthly.

The desk is new and just setup – it’s a sit stand desk so the treadmill rolls up under the desk and allows me to get a little exercise while I work. The cords are not quite complete but ultimately will all be organized and not visible.

Things I have considered:

I am going to paint but am not sure of color (gray?)

Replacing the window covering if necessary but not sure with what..

I am going to replace the fan/light but I am not sure with what…

I would really appreciate any suggestions / guidance you would be willing to share. Am I missing something obvious (or not so obvious)?

Finally, I realize I don’t need anything – this is a hobby that I love so for me it is no different than investing in an upgrade to a boat or a historic car. However, funds are not unlimited so I want to make sure I spend them wisely… Also, my day job revolves around CPA & IT type work so this lets me get the other side of my brain a little exercise!

Seriously though the only thing I'd worry about is the light coming through the window; I have a vaguely similar situation and I have mine covered over to keep the glare down. I'd rather have light-tight blinds but I don't use the room enough otherwise to justify the expense.

Based on your pic and comment about your gear, it seems you've invested some serious money in the contents of this room....so my suggestion would be to better protect and secure the room. I'm assuming that the entrance door to the room is similar in style to the closet door? If so, my suggestion would be to replace the entrance to the room door with a heavy solid wood door and custom deadbolt lock to better protect your office and gear.

I know this suggestion wouldn't stop a determined thief, but it will will stop some thieves...like opportunity thieves and maybe some quick "smash and grab" thieves. And stopping some is better than stopping none.

Jim and Sanjosedave – Thanks for the comments about the drapes – My wife’s favorite stores are target and JCPenny so she was very excited a few minutes ago when, for the first time in our marriage, I asked her to go there instead of her asking me if she could go there. Special note to my wife - Honey, if you are reading this - I actually really didn't mean asking

Sanj – I looked at your site a few times over the last year – your pictures are simply stunning.

Northstar – great comment – thank you. I have all my photography gear insured – I was truly amazed at how inexpensive it was and it covers theft, accidental damage… However, none of the computer and accessories are insured and they add up to quite a bit.

Jim and Sanjosedave – Thanks for the comments about the drapes – My wife’s favorite stores are target and JCPenny so she was very excited a few minutes ago when, for the first time in our marriage, I asked her to go there instead of her asking me if she could go there. Special note to my wife - Honey, if you are reading this - I actually really didn't mean asking

Sanj – I looked at your site a few times over the last year – your pictures are simply stunning.

Northstar – great comment – thank you. I have all my photography gear insured – I was truly amazed at how inexpensive it was and it covers theft, accidental damage… However, none of the computer and accessories are insured and they add up to quite a bit.

Yes...a fun year for the Ducks! That home loss to Standford must have really hurt, but still a great year.

As for theft and equipment, I wonder how an insurance company would respond to someone filing a claim for $10,000 in stolen camera gear if there was no evidence that it was stolen...no broken down door or forced entry of any kind....A thief just slipped in through an open garage, window or door, saw your stuff laying there in plain site and now your camera gear has disappeared. I've given this some thought recently for my own situation because like you, I'm also insured, but insurance companies are notorious for finding a reason not to pay a claim....and "it just disappeared" might seem fishy to their investigator. If the lock on the door to your room is one of those simple pin hole locks that can be opened by a 7 year old with a paper clip, then there is a pretty good chance that no forced entry of any kind would be found. A secure door/lock that had to be broken down by a thief provides some evidence of forced entry into your office, and would support your claim with the insurance company and police.

When my 1dx and 300 2.8 arrived recently, it made me think about this subject a bit...hopefully this is helpful for you.

Great point – Thank you. It is a good reminder for me that although I can have some peace of mind the gear is insured, I should still treat it as safely as possible. Just because someone else will have to write the check does not mean I should be less careful. The door will be replaced with a good lock (it works out nice because the door also has a big window into another room with a lot of light – lets me solve that problem at the same time)!

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It's not the the snake bite that kills you, it chasing after the snake.

I am hoping someone will jump in and share their knowledge about lighting. The fan/light combo needs to go – I hit my head on it when I use the treadmill. I was planning on putting in some recessed lighting with special bulbs like Solux but my knowledge here is extremely limited. Any direction would be appreciated. (Note: I have a friend that is an electrician so wiring is no problem.) I am completely open to any options. Thanks!

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It's not the the snake bite that kills you, it chasing after the snake.

Thanks for your reply. There are a total of three surge protectors mounted under the desk out of site but I probably have enough stuff here now that a should invest in a better surge protector(s) and/or UPS - after looking at them again - they don't appear to be very high quality. The backup is hard to see but I use a Dell removable 1TB cartridge (it is mounted under the desk just to the left of the red Focusrite next to the tower). I am diligent about backups. A UPS would definitely be a good addition (at least for a few of the components and the tower).

Thanks for your comments!

tom

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It's not the the snake bite that kills you, it chasing after the snake.

As soon as I saw the picture my mind wandered to the scene from the English Patient where Ralph Fines is so love sick over Kristen Scott-Thomas he is obsessing over mundane names associated with parts of a woman's antomy...

"This... this, the hollow at the base of a woman's throat, does it have an official name?"

Not sure if you're just doing still, or doing some video as well. If you're doing video, you're absolutely going to want to get your monitors (speakers...KRK's?) out from under the desk. Depending on how far you want to go in that direction, some acoustic treatment of the room could be in order as well.

Privatebydesign – Thanks for your suggestions. I enjoy this setup every single day. Below are a few pictures of my oldest son from a couple days ago at an indoor gym with terrible lighting. They might not be technically perfect (or even good - in fact they might just be terrible) but for me they are truly priceless.

ZEROOrhythm – thanks for the comment – I love having the portrait monitor for a second screen when I use lightroom

Ray2021 – LOL – You are SPOT ON and I know it. My wife tries… The saving grace is my wife loves the pictures!

Thepancakeman – Thanks for your comments. I do virtually all stills – I would love to do video but I have no idea how to fit it in right now - I love still photography and have so much to learn. I made a mental note to move the speakers if I start doing video – Thanks!

I probably should have mentioned to everyone that I also use this setup in my day job – I work about 75% from home doing various CPA/CFO type functions as well as some programming. This setup is not only for my hobby but is used very extensively in my job. (the over the top stuff is more hobby related – e.g. portrait monitor, Wacom…)